Docklands is a bit of a pain to get to if you don't work or live in the area. However, I drive by every single morning on the way to work so one morning when Mr A and I had woken up early and arrived at Docklands at the seemingly unearthly hour of 8am, we decided to go have coffee before the daily grind. Kenneth, Melbourne's unofficial ambassador for new cafe and restaurant openings, had recently posted on instagram about his visit to the days-old coffee and foodstore, story• in Docklands which had been opened by the people behind Dukes Coffee Roasters. Being an unashamedly big fan of their other cafes, I suggested we take a walk to check it out. It eventuated to quite the adventure as we were unfamiliar with that area of Bourke Street and ended up with a 15 minute walking detour!

Nestled away on the concourse level outside of the new NAB building, story• is already attracting the business folk for coffees, breakfast sandwiches and baked sweets.

Given our detour, we could only afford enough time for take away coffees but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was the first coffee that actually had me buzzing for the first time in months which I took as a good thing.

I also had an alfajor to take away - an Argentinean cookie sandwich with a dulce de leche filling. It was crumbly, cakey with the most delicious caramelised filling and the white chocolate shell only added to the delightful sweetness; a perfect accompaniment with the coffee.

So if you're ever around in the area, give it a try yourself! You can always expect quality when it comes to Dukes Coffee Roasters.

I'm a fiend when it comes to cheese. Any kind of cheese. That is where the cheese cellar below Spring St Grocer comes into play. Last week, whilst waiting for a fresh new flavour to be made upstairs at the gelateria, we wandered around the deli and explored downstairs. We found a pungent room filled with a magnitude of cheeses from all over the world.

After a few blue cheese tastings, from a recommendation from the lady helping us, I ended up purchasing a wheel of the Hervé Mons Fourme d'Ambert. A creamy mild blue cheese with subtle spicy and nutty notes. They also had a variety of accompaniments to go with the cheese available in the cellar - for instance, preserved figs, pastes and bags of walnuts. We also received some handy hints for cheese storage - at room temperature or in the vegetable crisper. Mr A and I enjoyed the cheese simply with some crackers and slivers of pear later that week - yum.

Hervé Mons Fourme d'Ambert ($16.10 for 230 grams)

It's hard to resist buying everything at Spring St Grocer but I escaped unscathed with my only purchase being the cheese. Although, I was heavily tempted by the highly rated Dr Marty's crumpets ($1.25 a piece) in the refrigerated section...

Don't forget to pick up a cup or two of the gelati and sorbetti (see my post about the gelati and sorbetti here) before you leave. The flavours are ever changing but just as delicious. I went with the 'Fior di Latte' flavour while my friend enjoyed her pear and Nutella flavour. Yum.

Pana chocolate has recently opened up a new store in Richmond not only selling their popular raw and organic chocolate bars, but also drinks, raw cheesecakes and chocolate truffles. Their seating is literally limited to three seats only so I made away with a few chocolate bar purchases.

My sole purpose was to try the sour cherry and vanilla flavour which had only recently been added to their range of flavours. The shop assistant raved about that particular flavour so much so that I decided to double up. The sour cherry plays well against the rich, fudgey chocolate. The raw cacao flavour is always delicious although I doubt you could go wrong with any of their flavours. My sister is obsessed with their cinnamon flavour while the most popular flavour is the coconut and goji.

Sour cherry & vanilla and raw cacao chocolate bars ($6.90 per bar)

Inside this small pack, is an even smaller block of wrapped chocolate. With only 6 square blocks to a bar, it seems on the pricey side but with quality and flavour in mind, I can't resist splurging once every while.

Another favourite in Richmond is a sweet little cafe called Cheerio. I have previously visited for lunch (see blog post here) but we dropped in after a meal at Meatmother for a coffee.

Seeing as it was such a nice day, we both went for the iced latte. Ice cold, milky with a strong coffee flavour - this is how all iced coffees should be. I almost wish I had coffee machine at home so I could replicate it on the daily in Summer.

Iced latte ($3.50)

Richmond isn't void of good cafes however I always hold Cheerio to be one of the sweetest spots to visit. Service is always friendly and food and drinks being spot on each time.